An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

When I saw that this duo was putting out another book, I was insanely excited. When it showed up on my doorstep I could barely contain myself. After reading their book The Wife Between Us last year, I knew that I would eagerly gobble up anything these two put out, and An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was no exception.

Jessica is a makeup artist, who traipses around the city from appointment to appointment trying to make ends meet. During one of these appointments, she catches wind of a psychology study focused on morality, where she could earn some much needed cash. After lying her way into the study, she soon realizes that it is more intrusive than she envisioned, but answering the probing questions asked of her is cathartic. When the study leader Dr. Shields starts to take an interest in her, Jessica feels special, like someone finally understands her. But soon that understanding gets deeper, the study steps get scarier, and Jessica doesn't know where the study ends and real life begins.

I really liked the main character, and definitely could see myself in Jessica's shoes. The manipulation used in this story was just brilliant. I could perfectly envision Dr. Shields in all her terrifying beauty, and can easily imagine getting swept up into the excitement and glamour that came with her, nail polish and all.

It was slightly predictable, however, which disappointed me since the twist in their last book threw me for a loop! I was hoping for a more dramatic twist.

While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as The Wife Between Us, it was still a great read, and I'm eager to see what these ladies come up with next!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for an ARC of An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen! This read is out January 8th, so be sure to pick up a copy!

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Cover Art Courtesy of St. Martin's Press

This book has been on my radar for a while. The kind folks at St. Martin's Press sent me a copy when they learned I was a big fan of thrillers, and I wanted to get through Halloween before I tackled it. I can see now why they were so excited to send this to me, I couldn't put it down! The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is a thriller that follows Vanessa and Nellie and the love interest Richard, and the complicated web weaved between them. I devoured this book in a few hours, and I can tell it will be a story I think about for a long time.

Like the back of the book says, everything you think you know about this book is wrong. And it's a sweet slap in the face when you actually learn the truth, because you never will have seen it coming. The characters were fantastic: Vanessa, the haggard and jilted ex-wife obsessed with her replacement, Nellie, the bright-eyed and hopeful teacher excited to marry the man of her dreams, and Richard, the seemingly perfect man with a dark and manipulative personality. Throw in a few other characters and you have a network of obsession and deception, wrought with mystery and intrigue, that makes for the perfect thriller.

I don't want to give anything away and spoil it for you if you intend to read it (and you should!), but I do want to add a disclaimer regarding abusive relationships and stalking. If this is a triggering topic for you, you might want to stay away from this novel.

Overall, I thought the plot and the characters were fantastic. It had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't stop reading until I found out what happened. I was VERY satisfied with the ending, but I still had a few lasting questions (like what is the deal with Maureen??). I've seen that there are already plans for this to be made into a movie, which of course I will have to see! If you are a fan of Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, be sure to pick this up because it will be right up your alley.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

The Wife Between Us hits shelves on January 9, 2018, so be sure to place your preorder now or pick up a copy when it comes out! Thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me what has already become one of the best books I've read this year!